MaW session 18th December 2021

Adrienne led a full Loving Kindness practice today, introducing it with the poem “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye.

Bev took a writing prompt

they did not know I saw 

from the Emily Dickinson's poem:

A Bird, came down the Walk

by Emily Dickinson

A Bird, came down the Walk - 

He did not know I saw -

He bit an Angle Worm in halves

And ate the fellow, raw, 

 

And then, he drank a Dew

From a convenient Grass -

And then hopped sidewise to the Wall

To let a Beetle pass -

 

He glanced with rapid eyes,

That hurried all abroad -

They looked like frightened Beads, I thought,

He stirred his Velvet Head. - 

 

Like one in danger, Cautious,

I offered him a Crumb,

And he unrolled his feathers, 

And rowed him softer Home -

 

Than Oars divide the Ocean,

Too silver for a seam,

Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon,

Leap, plashless as they swim. 

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And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

(Loving) Kindness is a friend

by Joyce Nicholson

Today, in the dying of the dark before the light returns,

I step out in this veiled harr to celebrate the too short life of our dear friend.

I bring loving kindness with me.

My emerald green centre pulsing with metta for all, gently holding the throbbing and stabbing aches of sorrow,

For kindness is all that there is.

Our shared love and our shared grief includes those unknown and those distant, and also those who caused hurt and harm, I offer my love to your suffering,

Equanimity is the path, loving kindness is the revolution. 

Apples & Blackbirds

by Bex Woodsford

I left the apples where they lay

   windfell on the ground

and now the blackbirds come each day

to eat and take their fill.

Ungainly on the ground

     they hop

from one sweet taste to next

They did not know I saw

   and thought

       twas right to leave abundance

all over the garden ground.

My neighbour thought it was messy

   and possibly a waste

but I knew that come the winter

    others would appreciate

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Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!

And a merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Bev and Adrienne

MaW session 11th December 2021

Today Adrienne introduced her Rain practice with a poem "Guest House" by Rumi.

Bev drew the writing prompt

certainty in tatters, our voices return

from this poem "Lesson" by Pat Sutherland:

Lesson

by Pat Sutherland

A snowless winter, but Arctic winds

whistled throat-searing coughs 

through our letterbox;

we whooped and barked

singly and in unison

buoyed up only by the certainty 

of healing Spring.

Sure enough, relief came with the crocuses;

our voices returned; we put a noxious

season behind us, seeing ahead

sunlit outings, picnics,

holidays.

But just as roadside hawthorn hazed with green

and blackthorn blossom lit the school fence,

just as our world was opening

we had to close our doors.

Nature has bloomed this spring

as never before

while Death, laughing at the irony,

rampages through sunlit air

gleaning a baleful harvest.

We are chastened, fearing the future,

our old assurance shaken

our certainties in tatters

the bedrock of our beliefs

cracked asunder.

We will live tentatively, grateful,

hoping to do better.

Certainty in Tatters, Our Voices Return by Jo Saunders

Feelings eroded confidence gone I lurked in my bed connection fled, isolated, an island, a sea of hostility and judgment around, Or so it seemed. I had been so sure, arrogant in my rectitude, my entitlement. Certainty in Tatters. A woman cries out, weeping. Others comfort. One by one our voices return.

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And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

Poem: Does it fit?

Jo Beth Gray

Abundance of coats and jackets

But nothing quite exact for the weather

Water repellent but not waterproof

A problem for walking the streets in winter

Expectant of heavy rainfall, freezing

Can’t fashion and function mix

Certainly something is in tatters

Identifying with the poor on our streets

How can our conscience keep sane

When we have choice of 5,6,10

Rich beyond measure

Uncomfortable in the coziness

While others have one coat, torn

A certain uncertainty 

by Bonbon

You’ve been a year of the great unknown

You came charging at me with a force like I’ve never felt before

New people & places, new homes and situations

Ive often felt my old certainty in tatters

I awake each day and I know the first thing I do is smile - and the warmth of life rushes through my whole body

Im so thankful for another new day to try again

I put myself out into that uncertain world that feels so new and overwhelming to me

My gorgeous furry companion and me go a wandering

He sniffs and hunts and scampers from one leaf to the next ……..and me! Well I chat to to all and anyone I meet

To discover a new certainty that’s there is more good than bad in my brand new world 

A joy in the chatter of history lessons,  given with pride and passion for this old industrial village.

It’s my introduction to its great past and the chance to keep it alive.

The welcome is warm and the smiles are wide, I find myself just being me in the here and now

Laughter is loud and spontaneous when met with the only traffic congestion of the slow moving swans and ducks in my path

Happiness is to stop and watch 

And  I have a moment, a realisation!…….the certainty that …….I am now Home……...

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Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!

Catrice: So true, Bev.

Kay: wonderful   just what I needed to nourish   thankyou adrienne

Kate P: Very helpful, thank you.

Catrice: 💜

Bev: certainty in tatters, our voices return

Catrice: To accept all is mutable**** (Lovely!)

Catrice: Cath, such composed call for peace and wholeness .

Kath: thank you all for your comments. I feel I am not alone

Catrice: 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Catrice: Very touching Maggie

Catrice: Powerful, Kay!

Catrice: Bye Leslie! Good to see you! 💜

Bex: gaiawisdom.org Kathleen Rude

Bex: based on the Work that Reconnects Joanna Macy

Kate P: Thank you so much Bev, Adrienne and everybody. Very nourishing and inspiring. I have to go but I hope to see you next week. xxx

Kay: thankyou   thankyou   thankyou

Bex: Thanks so much everyone X

Jo: Thanks all xx

Bonbon: Thank you everyone . Amazing session. The RAIN practice is one of my favourites and it so powerful….. for the first time I focused on me. Love to you all xxx\